Office plants, any input?

Discussion in 'Free Thoughts' started by francois, May 22, 2008.

  1. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    I have been working at my job for about three months now and my cubicle is still pretty barren. I've got my computer, IP phone, some papers and a Nalgene bottle. I've decided I'm going to get a plant. Do any of you have one? What kind?

    I'm think of getting a Bonsai. Those things are freakin' awesome. They're like miniature trees (between one and two feet high). Even their leaves are tiny. You can get them pretty cheap on Ebay. Here's a pic of one that I think is particularly good looking. It's about 12 inches tall.

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    Do any of you own a Bonsai? Are they easy to take care of? Is fluorescent light enough for them to thrive? I'm going to be doing some research, but it would be interesting to see what people have to say.
     
    Last edited: May 22, 2008
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  3. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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  5. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    Nah, I'd rather have an ugly real plant than a good looking fake one.
     
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  7. lucifers angel same shit, differant day!! Registered Senior Member

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    i did have one, and after a while it was easy to look after, you just have to ake sure that you feed it decent plant food, and water, not to much though!
     
  8. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    I can handle that. I'm a pretty resourceful and reliable person.

    What happened to it? Did it die?
     
  9. lucifers angel same shit, differant day!! Registered Senior Member

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    i personally like this one:

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    There are many different opinions on how to grow bonsai trees. There is no right way. Learning to grow bonsai trees should be a personal experience. A hobby you can individualize for yourself and be able to enjoy.

    Those lucky enough will have an experienced bonsai grower to guide them. Others will have to depend on books, guides and the internet to teach them. Whichever methods you learn by, remember you are working with something that is living. Bonsai trees are each individual and different.

    Learn the different styles of bonsai. There is the classic and the informal. With the classic, the tree is wider at the base and tapers up. It is the more difficult to learn. The easiest to learn is the more informal style. This is where you prune and wire the trees to be a smaller version of what appears in nature. Study the trees or shrubs. Imitate how they grow.

    You can start your bonsai by seed or you can purchase one that is already started. Purchasing one may be an easier way to start your hobby. Ensure that you acquire your plant from a reliable source. Starting with a healthy plant will give you a greater chance of success.

    Consider purchasing a starter kit. These will include everything that you need to grow your bonsai. You need a shallow container, specialized soil, fertilizer, specialized tools and of course your tree. Consider the type of tree or shrub you would like to start with as well. Asking for recommendation on what a beginner can start with as well as personal preference should be measured.

    Bonsai growing is a very enjoyable hobby. It can be very rewarding taking care of these small trees. They need love and attention. Once you have the basics down there are more advanced techniques to conquer. There are always new things to learn about growing bonsai.

    http://gardener-tips.blogspot.com/2008/03/how-to-get-started-growing-bonsai.html
     
  10. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    I agree but whenever you go on vacation , take off for a short office trip somewhere many times the plants don't get the attention they need. Also light is very important and if you aren't by a window that allows light in the artificial light inside won't help them live very long. To many problems with the living types of plants and sometimes there's a office policy that won't allow them to be used. Did you check on that also?
     
  11. lucifers angel same shit, differant day!! Registered Senior Member

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    my friend has it for me, because we have moved a lot over the last few years and i didnt want anything to happen to it
     
  12. Sciencelovah Registered Senior Member

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    I have something like this (a bit more purple), but don't put this too close to the window:

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    For treatment, just spray it with water a little bit, and then every around once
    per two weeks, soak it in a bucket of water containing a little bit of beer (no joke).
     
  13. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, I gotta check on that. Sometimes plants like this can be poisonous. And some people are allergic. There might be an issue with this. And yeah, I definitely need to do some research. I'm not in a place where there's any natural light, so it might not be enough. Maybe I can get a small UV lamp. I think I've heard that plants need UV light. I don't think fluorescent lamps give that kind of light. They create it, but the phosphors convert it to longer wavelength light.
     
  14. Creeptology Registered Member

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    I have grown bonsai since I was 19, gave most my trees away but started growing 2 orange trees (1 year old so can't train yet). Indoor bonsai you can get awesome ones to grow. I like serissa (tree of a thoudsand stars) as the flowers stay small and grow fast-ish. I had 3 9year old serissas but gave to my friend when I moved and had nowhere to go (I was 23) along with a zelkova, chinese elm, jasmin and lots of azaleas.

    Azalea and rhodedendron look great but take a long time to grow compared to other trees. You can get info on growing online for any tree. Pick one with less light requirements and a small lamp will do (plant lighting is expensive but cheaper alt is http://www.growell.co.uk/p/1587/Envirolites-Compact-Fluorescent-Grow-Lamps.html but they don't give off as good a quality light as traditional lamps and are either red or blue so have to pick carefully if growing flowering plants).

    Or you could grow some good looking mushrooms, fly agarics look good on any desk hehehehe. When you are bored separate the red from white and make a cup of tea.
     
  15. Randwolf Ignorance killed the cat Valued Senior Member

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    Silk is definitely the way to go....
     
  16. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    Pachira Aquatica, AKA money tree

    This is the plant I ended up getting. It turns out that Bonsais are require a good bit of light. This plant, rather, does not. It's neat looking too.
     
  17. cosmictraveler Be kind to yourself always. Valued Senior Member

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    Looks interesting, does it flower?
     
  18. francois Schwat? Registered Senior Member

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    Yeah, according to Wikipedia it does. I'm not sure whether it will, however, as it's out of its natural environment.
     
  19. Creeptology Registered Member

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    thats the flowers, but looks like it will never flower indoors. Shame since looks great.
     
  20. EmmZ It's an animal thing Registered Senior Member

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    Creep, you're such a closet gay sometimes.
     
  21. Fraggle Rocker Staff Member

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    There are lots of plants that do just fine in artificial light. Dieffenbachia, spider plants, philodendron, calladium, Ficus benjamina, creeping Charlie, and many more. The plants that are popular in offices are popular because they don't require a lot of care and are rather tolerant of abuse. Check with a good nursery, they'll have a dozen for you to choose from.

    Bonsai trees require care. You have to keep them trimmed or they grow out of their artificial forced miniature state. People in Japan are fanatics about everything so they're very enthusiastic and dependable caregivers. Do a lot of research before you decide you're the right person to have a bonsai and your office is the right environment for it.
     
  22. Roman Banned Banned

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    Make sure not to overwater your plant. It leads to a root infection that causes the plant to wilt, which often leads to amateur growers giving it more water, thus prolonging the infection.
     
  23. Diode-Man Awesome User Title Registered Senior Member

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    Venus Fly traps... everybody loves Venus Fly Traps. I'd imagine, they get most their energy from flies... rather than sunlight.

    Recently (2005) it was discovered the fly traps close at 100 milliseconds speed! Because the moment the fly lands in the trap, it activates a hair trigger which changes the shape of the fly trap from convex, to concave....

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